The Final Top Gear Celebrity Car Has Been Sold For A Reasonable Price

The famous 'Reasonably Priced Car' from Top Gear has been auctioned off for charity.

Before Chris Evans decided to ruin Top Gear’s ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ segment by turning the track into a rallycross course, during the Clarkson era of the show celebrities would set lap times in humble hatches. Up until Clarkson’s fateful fracas which lost him his job at Top Gear, the last surviving celebrity car was arguably the most quintessential British hatchback – a Vauxhall Astra. Recently, one of the cars used on the show went up for auction.

Appropriately, the Astra sold for a very reasonable sum of 6,000 GBP (around $7,480) - certainly a more reasonable price for a 1.6-liter Astra than the other Top Gear celebrity car that sold on eBay last year for 17,800 GBP (around $22185). The Astra was auctioned off by COYS with all proceeds going to BEN, a charity “committed to making positive differences to the lives of people within the automotive industry and their dependents.” It isn’t clear if this Astra represents the main model used on the show, though, as Top Gear normally had several models in reserve. Still, you can tell it’s the Top Gear Astra since it’s been fitted with a roll cage and five-point harnesses, which don't come as standard.

Celebrities to have driven the Astra around the Top Gear track include Olly Murs, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Jackman. Auctioning the Vauxhall Astra was a one-of-a-kind-moment and we are especially delighted that the proceeds of its sale are going to our own industry's charity," said Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys. “Vauxhall Motors is proud to support BEN and we’re pleased the sale of the BBC Top Gear car has offered a decent injection of funds into the work BEN do for the automotive industry,” Adam Collins, Brand Manager, at Vauxhall Motors added.

The next series of Top Gear will mark an exciting new era for the ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ segment. Not only has the rallycross theme been axed,rumor has it the new car that will be carting celebrities around the track will be a tail-happy Toyota GT86. Wet laps are about to get more entertaining with some rear-wheel drive-mishaps.